Therapeutic articulating apparatus



June 24, 1930. P. HENvzE El' AL. 1,765,669

THERAPEUT IC ART I CULAT ING APPARATUS Filed 061'.. 1l, 1929 74 f--lh-Tl ATTORNEYS Patented June 24, 1930 y f UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE PAUL HIENZE AND GUSTAF S. GILLBERG, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS TO ELECTRO-MOTIVE INSTRUMENT CO., OI? DETROIT, MIHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN THERAPEUTIC ARTICULATING APPARATS Application filled October 11, 1929. Seri-a1 No. 399,072.

This inventionrelates to a therapeut-ic ar-v ticulating mechanism adapted for employment in hospitals or by physicians to mechanically manipulate certain affected parts of the body of the patient such as the arms or legs to loosen up the muscles or ligaments by drawing and working same through the operation of the apparatus.

Our improved apparatus is designe'dto place a predetermined load, which may be adjusted as desired, uponvarious joints of the human body and employs different types of harness arrangement to engage the body, and the apparatus is of such a character that it will yield if the resistance of the muscles or joint ligaments of the patient is unduly great, thereby preventing any injury thereto.

The articulating apparatus is arranged to produce a yielding rhythmic motion and to continuously repeat it and is so constructed that this maybe varied in different ways. A desirable feature resides in the embodiment of a structure of this type in a few simple, strong, sturdy parts so connected that the stroke or extent of movement or the dii'ectioii thereof may be readily varied andthe position of the harness attachment may be quickly changed.

Other objects, advantages and meritorious bodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinally sectional View through the spring tension connection, and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Our apparatus comprises a licor frame 10 which may preferably be rectangular in shape provided with upright standards 12 at each of the four corners and an attaching plate 14 may be secured to the floor and engaged with a foot 16 formed on one or more of said standards to secure the apparatus rigidly to the floor. y

There is a platform or superior frame structure 17 which is provided with depending tubular standards 18 arranged one at the'form of an electric motor 2O which drives a worm 22 which, in turn, drives a gear 24, which gear has a radial guideway 26 within which is slidably adj ustably supported to one end of a pitman rod '28, an adjustment 30 being provided to change the'position ofthe connection of the rod with the gear. The other end of the rod 28 is connected to the lower end of a rock lever 32 which is pivotally mounted at 34 upon the platform which is Oprovided with trunnions. 36 at its upper en A swinging standard is pivotally supported upon the platform and comprises a lower portion 38y pivotally supported at 40 for swinging movement in t-he same direction as the rock lever and an upper portion' 42 telescoped over the lower portion and slidably adjustable as to height. A set screw 44 is carried by the portion 42 and travels through aV slot 46 in the portion 38 and a spring 50 is interposed between these two portions tend-A ing to hold them apart. Y i Member 42 is provided at its vupper end with trunnions 52 similar to the trunnions 36 provided at the upper end of the member 32.

-Atelescoping spring tension ldriving connectionbridgesthe upper ends ofthe rocky lever 32 and the swinging standard 42 and is illustrated in longitudinal cross-section in Fig. 2.V It comprises telescoping members 54 and 56. Member 56 is pivotally supported upon the trunnions 52 and'member 54 is pivotally supported upoiithe trunnions 36 and said members are held apartby avtension spring 58 which is connected with memberv 56 `bybeing threaded on to la shank portion 60 thereof and which is connected to member 54- by beingthreaded on to its shank por- Y Veo vided with a crank 66. The nut 62 is freely mounted within the end portion of the member 54 for rotation therein.

There is a harness support or attachment 67 to ivnich a harness member 68 may be connected and held in place by a Wedge 70: This harness support has a shank member 'F2 Which extends slidably through the telescoping members 'for longitudinal adjustment but is held Vagainst rotation by a set screw Tel which rides in a slot ltormed therein. VEhis shank has a threaded portion 58 which is engaged by the rotatable nut 62, which nut is held against advancement by a spaciiio member S0 so that upon rotation ot' the nut the harness attachment is advanced or retracted With respect to the tclescoping members.

liv/*hat ive claim is l. rherapeutic articulating apparatus comprising a frame, power mechanism carried by and depending below the train-e, a rock lever pivotally mounted upon 'the 'traine and -rtending above and below the saine, a driving connection bet een the louer end oit' the roel; lever and said power mecha: in, sivingi standard pivoted at one end to the trame, a telescoping driving;l spring tension connection betr en the upper end ot the roch lever and the iree end et the swinging rd and a li rness support carried by i stan-ciaL o.

and longitudinally djiistahle through said telescopii springl tension connection.

2. Therapeutic articulating v apparatus comprising rame,a roel; lever pii'otally mounted upon the trame, poiver mechanism connected with one end ot the roel; lever to roel; said lever, a iving'ine standard pivetally mounted upon the fr me, spring' tension drivin-o` connection between the free end the roci lever and the tree end et' the swinging standard to e; said standard, and i ss support cai ier by sii-dertiendconiiec f'i a f 4. ilieiaieotic aticiiatino 'Wl .e coinpiisiiig4 a rar-ie. a iel; le-

m noted iipoii th frame, p Serin ini iii connected with one eiid or" the ci; lever to roel; said lever, a swinging standard piv# ily morir-feedV upon the frame, a telescopin sp tension driving connection havin@P one telescopi.- triinioiied on th free end oit thV d the other tel scoping meint oneri on the 'tree end` or" the siting-g stand-nd and a caff meaeee connected with one end of the roclr lever toy rock said lever, a swinging standardjpivotally mounted upon the trame, a telescopiiig spring tension driving connection having one Y telescoping member trunnioned on the free end of the rock lever and the other telescoping` member truniiioned Von the free end oit the swinging standard and a tension spring enclosed by and connecting,f said members, a harness supporthavingl an attaching head and a shank extending slidably through said telescoping 'members for longitudinal non-ror`v tatable adjustment, said shank provided with a screw threaded portion and a manually rotatable part threadedly engaging said screw threaded portion of the shank to adjiistably advance and retract'the same with respect to the telescopino members.

ln testimony Whcreor, ive, PAUL Hnrizn and Gnsriir S. (liminaire, sign this specification.

PAUL HENZE.

GUSTAF S. GILLBEBG,

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